Saturday, December 15, 2012

Nicole's Weekly Update #7

Well, I have some phenomenal news to share.

As of Friday, December 14th, I am officially a full time author. Having spent the last 12 and a half years at one company, leaving is both bittersweet and exhilarating all at the same time. I've made some amazing friends over the years and not seeing them every day is going to take some getting used to, but on the other hand, I now have the opportunity to do what I have dreamed about doing for as long as I can remember.

A little about me:
I obtained my passion for writing when I was around 14 years old and it has only grown over the last fifteen or twenty years. I have spent years writing books that I have enjoyed, but no one else ever had the opportunity to see. Believe it or not, Conviction was one of those stories that I started about five years ago and only recently decided to release on the world. The response has been above and beyond my wildest imagination. So, not only was I working forty or more hours a week, I was also spending just as many hours a week writing which was ultimately taking it's toll on me.

Before the Club Destiny Series:
Back in December of 2011, I decided to go the independent route and published a few of my other books under my real name. Let me just say that I was hesitant with those books because I had modified them to be something that I wasn't quite comfortable with thinking that was what romance readers really wanted. I went the contemporary romance route and drastically toned down the "erotic" elements in the stories and I think that ultimately determined their fate.

If you have read any of my books, you understand that my brain functions more on the naughty than the nice so you can understand my dilemma. I have since pulled my other books from the shelves (under my real name) and am working to write them with more of Nicole's influence because that is who I truly am.It didn't take long before I realized that I wanted to be myself and although I am writing under a pen name, I can tell you that Nicole Edwards is who I really am.

Since the Club Destiny Series:Over the course of the last five or six months, I have learned so much about myself and thanks to all of the amazing people who have supported me during this time - my family and my readers - I have come into my own. The Club Destiny series is just the first of many that I hope to share with the world. I am frequently receiving questions on whether or not there will be more books in this series, and I can assure you that there will be.

A BIG Thank You:First and foremost, I have to thank my husband for his continued support of me and my dream. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be where I am today. After all, I had to ask his permission to allow me to do this full time (giving up a steady income is a huge risk) - and after pondering the request for a while (it seemed like forever), he finally said yes.

I also have to say thank you to my mother because she is the most amazing woman I have ever known and her love and support have gotten me through each and every day. My mother is not only my mother, she is ultimately my best friend.

And of course, I want to thank my readers for their continued support and the emails and Facebook/Twitter posts that have me smiling each and every day. I will admit that I do this because I love it, but it is you who makes it all worthwhile.

What does this mean?
Well, not only will I have the time necessary to do what I love most, this new change in my life will allow me the opportunity to interact with my readers more which has become one of the highlights of my day.I love you alland I am grateful that you have chosen to venture down this path with me and to share in the dreams that I have come to put on paper.